Heat trace systems are commonly used in industrial and commercial settings to maintain or raise the temperature of pipes or tanks in a piping system through the use of electrical heating elements or heat traces that are in physical contact with the pipe or tank, as the case may be. Typically, the various heat traces are connected to, and receive electric power from, a main power distribution system. The main power distribution system typically has a user interface that allows the user to configure the parameters of the heat trace system, such as the set point temperatures, the deadbands (a range over which the temperature is allowed to fluctuate), and high/low temperature alarms. The main power distribution system typically includes a solid state relay (SSR) connected to each heat trace loop, and regulation of the SSR regulates the voltage applied to the heat trace loops (which thereby controls the temperatures of the pipes and tanks).
Some heat trace systems also include wireless sensors or other wireless modules throughout the heat trace system. The sensors can sense conditions of the heat traces and/or the pipes/tanks and report the sensed conditions to the main power distribution system via a wireless communication network. Typically these wireless modules are powered by either batteries or separate power cables.